Find a way || English

"The surname Black was not born to be loved. It was born to be obeyed. The Blacks are not feared for their accomplishments; they are feared because the name is cursed from within."

Alphard snapped the box shut with resentment and something else Scarlett could not quite make out.

"Every generation has had its own brand of madness. Some obsess over blood purity. Others over power, prophecy, control. There are branches that raised children without any affection. Or that used gruesome rituals to choose the 'most deserving' of their own blood."

Scarlett swallowed hard.

"And what happens if I refuse to be what I am supposed to be?"

Alphard looked at her with piercing intensity.

"That is what truly petrifies them. That there might be a Black who decides to think. Who decides to feel."

He rose and, just before sweeping out, without meeting her eye, he stated:

"You will determine what your own path shall be."

Scarlett dropped her gaze.

And she spent the remainder of her birthday gazing at her father's photograph.